Garlic, “The Stinking Rose”.

Garlic (allium sativum L.) What could be more Italian? And either you love it or you hate it. Garlic haters usually don’t like onions either and will doubtlessly appreciate the antique legend which reveals that when the devil was thrown out of paradise and came to earth his left foot touched the earth and sprouted garlic whilst his right foot brought forth onions. In fact, both plants belong to the lily or liliaceae family and certainly have a very distinctive odor.

Eat it…. The truth is that nobody knows the original homeland of the plant but the ancient Mediterranean populations used it thousands of years ago as a vegetable, kitchen herb and medicine. During history it found its way in spicy sauces, smooth stews, grilled fish, roasted meat, all sorts of vegetables and summer salads including the world famous spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli). Garlic is packed with an impressive number of healthy substances such as the vitamins C, B1, B2, as well as in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc and much more so that everybody, including the garlic haters should take into serious consideration a regular use of this fantastic plant. Authentic garlic fans would never try to neutralize the scent of their beloved panacea but usually they are willing to share hints to by-pass the bad breath. Mostly they chew coffee-beans, cloves, or an aromatic herb, some suggest to drink a generous quantity of red wine or milk. In the medical field, the “stinking rose” (a name used by the ancient Greek and Romans) was quite busy too with all-round employment as a cure against many diseases like, for instance, asthma, blood circulation problems, hypertension, rheumatism, whooping cough, even dependence on tobacco.

Make magic with it… Meanwhile, other important tasks waited for the garlic in the magical field. All over the world, people believed that the plant was a powerful remedy against all kinds of adversities and literature is filled up with stories about the protecting properties against all evil, vampires, witches and the devil. Sailors used to smear garlic juice under their armpits, on their chest(s) and under their soles; children were equipped with garlic cloves which also found a place on windowsills; often, entire garlic heads were hung on strings from the kitchen ceiling to ward away evil. Traditional Tuscan protection spell: Take a whole garlic head and say the following sentence: “Like this garlic head is  whole but at the same time formed by many cloves, my house, too, is whole but consists of many parts”. Now divide  the cloves and place one over each door and window of your house. The evil spirits will not enter and bring negativity into your home. Whatever you do with it, garlic is indispensable in the Tuscan kitchen!